The GGN Consumer Label for Certified Aquaculture now Available in Nine Countries
Aquaculture products that come from farms with GLOBALG.A.P. certification can be labeled with the GGN consumer logo with the GLOBALG.A.P. Number (GGN). This is a 13-digit identification number that identifies all participants in the production and supply chain under GLOBALG.A.P. certification.
More than 137 aquaculture products are now available with the GGN logo. They are connected to 82 farm profiles and supplied by 34 GGN licensees from nine countries.
With the GGN printed on the product packaging, consumers can learn more about the farms that have produced the labeled products at www.ggn.org – the consumer portal for GLOBALG.A.P. certified aquaculture. The website also explains what good aquaculture practices are and how the farms with GLOBALG.A.P. certification implement them. This direct line between the consumer and the original producer forms the basis of a chain of trust in food production.
Learnings
Traceability: one of the most important learnings of the previous years was the need for a consumer-friendly portal to allow traceability from the final product back to the farm. This has resulted in an overhaul of the existing GGN consumer portal, with faster and better readability and functionality as well as a modern design. The portal will be up and running in the summer of 2019.
Challenges
A standard must provide a realistic promise by developing criteria based on facts which are practical and auditable. At the same time, the certification process has to be simple in order to enable cost-effective scalability while avoiding duplication.
Trends
There is a clear emphasis on reducing food safety risks as well as increasing animal welfare. A growing number of retailers around the world is interested in clearly communicating and simplifying their purchasing policies but also wishes to limit the number of labels in order to avoid confusion among consumers.
EROSKI Introduced GGN Label for Certified Aquaculture at its Seafood Counters
In 2018 EROSKI became the first retailer in Spain to pass the GLOBALG.A.P. Chain of Custody audit to sell certified aquaculture products. This guarantees that the fish on sale at its seafood counters has been farmed in a safe and responsible way. 361 seafood counters in EROSKI stores now sell gilthead seabream, meagre, European seabass, and turbot labeled with the GGN Aquaculture logo. The GLOBALG.A.P. Standard is the standard behind the GGN label.
The criteria for the GLOBALG.A.P. Standard include an analysis of the environmental impact, regular food safety and water quality checks, and verification of product traceability and the proper utilization of waters.
The standard also ensures adequate feed consumption, leading to better care of the seabed and an improved use of the fishing resources, measures to prevent escape and thus limit the spread of invasive species, the implementation of animal welfare measures, the guaranteeing of proper working conditions, and the introduction of quality management systems.
About EROSKI
EROSKI is the first distribution group of the cooperative type in Spain and a leading operator in the regions of Galicia, Basque Country, Navarre, Catalonia, and the Balearic Islands. It has a business network of 1,651 stores, including supermarkets, hypermarkets, and cash & carries, as well as petrol stations, optical shops, travel agencies, and sports shops. It has more than six million customer members and more than 33,800 cooperative members, workers, and franchisees.
GLOBALG.A.P. Recognized Against Benchmarking Requirements Version 7.1
In February 2019 the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) announced that the GLOBALG.A.P. IFA program has achieved recognition against version 7.1 of the GFSI Benchmarking Requirements.
Dr Kristian Moeller, Chief Executive Officer of GLOBALG.A.P., said: “GLOBALG.A.P. was founded 23 years ago based on the belief that every generation has the right to safe food. We follow the principles of transparency, credibility, and harmonization. Benchmarking is an important tool and this is why we actively seek continuous GFSI recognition, as significant markets value this harmonization effort”.
For GFSI, the opportunity to continue working with certificate program owners towards the harmonization of programs around the world is highly valued; it is one of the strategic tools to ensure safe food for consumers everywhere. GLOBALG.A.P. was first recognized in 2012 and has maintained its commitment to the GFSI recognition program ever since. GFSI was therefore particularly pleased to receive GLOBALG.A.P.’s re-benchmarking application.
Learn more at www.mygfsi.org
The Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative Recognizes the GLOBALG.A.P. Aquaculture Certification System
Learn more on the GSSI at www.ourggsi.org
The GLOBALG.A.P. Aquaculture Standard
Compound Feed: aquaculture producers are required to source the compound feed used at the aquatic farming and hatchery levels from reliable suppliers.
Learn more about the GLOBALG.A.P. Standard for Compound Feed Manufacturers at www.globalgap.org/cfm
Aquaculture hatcheries and farms: the GLOBALG.A.P. Aquaculture Standard applies to a variety of fish, crustaceans, and molluscs and extends to all hatchery-based farmed species as well as the passive collection of seedlings in the planktonic phase. It covers the entire production chain, from broodstock, seedlings, and feed suppliers to farming, harvesting, and processing.
Chain of custody: the GLOBALG.A.P. Chain of Custody Standard gives aquaculture producers a high level of transparency and integrity by identifying the status of the product throughout the entire production and supply chain, from farm to retailer. For added value, read more about the GLOBALG.A.P. Chain of Custody Standard here.